We run into remodel jobs in an old town (Boston) and sometimes find old tile that could be vinyl or could be asbestos tile. Sometimes we know the date of construction, but it'd be very handy to know when asbestos tile got phased out.

Anybody know the dates it was in use??? Any old timers remember being told to stop using it??

Me, I'm only 21, so I wouldn't know. *

*OK, I was born in 1959. So it's really difficult to stay looking 21, but I manage*

Richie is right,
here is a little excerpt for ya Clay:
Vinyl composition tiles took the place of asbestos tiles, which were widely used in schools, hospitals, offices, and public buildings up until the 1980s. Use of tiles and adhesives containing asbestos were discontinued when asbestos materials were determined to be hazardous. Tiles free of asbestos are easily distinguished by their size – asbestos tiles were commonly manufactured in 9-inch squares. Mastics and adhesives containing low concentrations of asbestos were used into the 1970s and are generally considered non-hazardous because the asbestos is not considered friable.

Vinyl composition tile (VCT) are composed of colored vinyl chips formed into solid sheets of varying thicknesses (1/8” is most common) by heat and pressure and cut into 12” squares. Vinyl composition tiles took the place of asbestos tiles, which were widely used in schools, hospitals, offices, and public buildings up until the 1980s.

vinyl compound is any organic compound that contains a vinyl group (also called ethenyl), −CH=CH2. These are derivatives of ethylene, CH2=CH2, with one hydrogen atom substituted with some other group.

Brian, that quote in #3 sounds authoritative, but it's not accurate. The tiles often referred to as asbestos by some, are actually "asphalt" tiles. Both asphalt and vinyl asbestos tiles of course contain the mineral. The size has nothing to do with it except that most of the asphalt tiles were 9x9, but not all, they also made some special runs of 12". Most asphalt tiles were made 1/8" thick, but they also came in 3/32 gauge.

Vinyl asbestos tiles were invented in the '50's. They first were also only 9x9 but latter were also made in other sizes, mostly 12" though. The standard gauge for VAT was 1/16", but also came in 3/32, and 1/8". I think I have also seen some 3/16" super heavy duty stuff too?

I believe there was some VAT available into the mid-'80's? Talc was substituted for asbestos in the new VCT. Of course it took several years or longer for all of the VAT to be sold out of the supply chain.

I just spent 10 hours last week in an annual Asbestos supervisors refresher course mandated by my employer (a large electrical utility). The information that we were given by the instructor which has been the same every year is that asbestos containing building products are still being manufactured in many parts of the world and are still being sold in the US. There have been instances reported of asbestos containing floor tile , ceiling tiles, and roofing being abated by contractors and then being replaced with new products from suppliers containing the same thing. He stated he could walk into any big box supplier and find asbestos containing materials still being sold, and that contrary to what most people believe that there is no complete ban on the sale of them at present. This is just the information we were given in our class and the material is reviewed by the state. FYI